# Validator Discord Summaries

Provided by [Chainflow](https://solana.chainflow.io)

## Summary of Validator Discussions (June 18-20, 2024)

1. Network Upgrades and Node Performance

* Deployment and Performance: Validators discussed the deployment and performance of Solana's version 1.18, noting significant improvements in transaction handling and node performance. They observed a shift in transaction patterns, with blocks consistently handling more transactions than before.
* Criticism of Poor Management: Validators expressed frustration at operators who failed to manage their nodes properly, even when mainnet operations are highly profitable.
* Specific Validators: Figment was mentioned as a validator with poor testnet performance but high mainnet performance, illustrating discrepancies between testnet and mainnet operations.

2. Validator Management and Technical Issues
* Criticism of AWS Hosting: Validators criticized those hosting on AWS, suggesting that it reflects a lack of understanding of validator requirements.
* Troubleshooting Technical Challenges: Validators shared troubleshooting experiences, such as dealing with nodes falling behind and going delinquent, indicating a collaborative approach to resolving these issues.
* Setup Sharing: Members shared their setup scripts and configurations to help diagnose and solve common problems.

3. Ethical Concerns and Transaction Handling
* Sandwich Transactions: There was an extensive debate on the ethics of sandwich transactions, with some arguing for identification and blocking at the protocol level, while others suggested handling it individually by validators.
* Dashboard and Censorship: The new dashboard showing sandwich transactions raised concerns about centralized transaction censorship and the role of Jito validators in filtering transactions.
* RPC Level Filtering: Validators discussed whether filtering should be implemented at the RPC level to prevent dishonest validators from forwarding sandwichable transactions to private mempools.

4. Stakewiz and Validator Transparency
* Controversial Listings: Stakewiz's role in listing validators involved in sandwich transactions caused controversy. Some validators felt unfairly labeled and argued for clearer detection criteria and opportunities for redemption.
* Transparency and Ethics: The community emphasized the importance of validators acting in the best interests of their stakers and the need for clear definitions of malicious behavior.

5. Community Coordination and Support
* Improving Resources: Members acknowledged issues with existing guides and resources, promising improvements. Workshops and community calls were suggested to better define and address malicious behavior.
* Using Public Tools: Validators mentioned using public tools and dashboards, such as Solana Compass, to analyze performance trends and make informed decisions.

6. Redemption and Regulatory Perspectives
* Three-Strike System: A three-strike system for validators involved in malicious activities was proposed, with varying opinions on the severity and duration of penalties.
* Transparency and Fairness: Validators emphasized the importance of transparency and fairness in the process of marking and redeeming validators involved in unethical behavior.

7. Tools and Solutions
* Preventing Sandwich Transactions: Validators discussed potential solutions to prevent sandwich transactions, such as implementing transaction shuffling and better detection and filtering methods at the protocol or RPC level.
* Enhancing the Ecosystem: Suggestions were made to improve the validator ecosystem by ensuring that validators are aware of and act according to ethical standards.

8. APY, Trading, Arbitrage, Mempools, and Jito
* APY Concerns: Validators discussed the impact of Jito on APY, noting that without Jito, APY is 1-1.25% lower. This discrepancy influences validators' decisions to switch back to vanilla builds.
* Trading and Arbitrage: There were concerns about the impact of sandwich transactions on trading and arbitrage, with suggestions that certain transactions could be handled more ethically.
* Mempools and Jito: Discussions included the role of Jito validators in handling mempools and the potential ethical implications of their actions. Validators debated whether Jito's filtering mechanisms were sufficient and how to better protect users.